Deck the Halls with Bows of Vervain
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: When Klaus needs more of Elena's blood for his hybrids, Damon promptly whisks her away... but things don't go as he had hoped they would.
1. Chapter 1 Escape

Elena sighed, tossing her journal down at the sound of a knock on the door downstairs. Mystic Falls had received a very uncustomary snow storm last night, so school was cancelled until the town could be plowed out.

It's probably Jeremy, she thought. He must have forgotten his keys again…

She walked down the stairs and opened the door.

"We have a problem."

Damon walked into the house, snow lacing his black hair and black leather jacket.

"Well, hello to you, too." Elena said, shutting the door.

"Lock it." Damon ordered as he walked into her living room.

"Why?" Elena asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Damon frowned, walking past her and sliding the lock across, doing the deadbolt, too.

"Because," he said, sounding irritated. "Klaus is back in town."

Elena gaped at him.

"What? He can't be. He has my blood-"

"He ran out. Now he needs more. This is the first place he's going to look. We have to go, _now_!"

Elena frowned.

"I can't. Jeremy-"

"Has Alaric, Bonnie, and his ghost-ex-girlfriend to protect him. You, on the other hand, have no one but me."

He said this while peering angrily out a crack in the curtains.

"Damon, I can't just pack up and leave-"

"I know. We don't have time for packing. We'll go shopping once we're a good two states away from here."

"Damon, I'm not leaving without-!"

"Without what? Stefan? Because he's on Klaus's side, Elena! Klaus has Stefan, Tyler, _and _Rebekah out looking for you, so they can hook you up to that machine again, and drain your blood. And if we don't go now, they're going to find you. And I can't protect you from all three of them!"

Elena frowned, clearly at a crossroad.

Damon shook his head in irritation, scooping her up and unlocking the door, dashing out and putting her in the passenger's seat of his car, slamming the door, and getting in the driver's side himself. By the time they were both in and driving away, a total of seventeen seconds had gone by.

"Are you crazy?" Elena cried, looking helplessly back at her house with the door still wide open. "Alaric and Jeremy are going to think someone kidnapped me!"

"Technically they wouldn't be wrong." Damon said with a sarcastic smile.

Elena heaved an irritated sigh, giving up protesting. She knew nothing was going to nudge Damon.

"Where are you taking me this time?" she asked, remembering their last spontaneous trip, to Georgia, which had ended rather disastrously.

Damon looked in the rearview mirror, as if expecting to see someone tailing them.

"Somewhere they'll never think to look." He said, not taking his eyes off of the mirror.

"Which is…?" Elena asked.

"My new, unrecognizable car."

Elena frowned, for the first time looking around the car. It wasn't Damon's blue convertible, at all. It was a sleek black sports car with tinted windows, suede seats, and leather upholster.

"How did you afford this?" Elena asked her eyes wide.

"Well, it's not like I have to spend a whole whack of money on food." He grinned.

She grinned.

"No, you spend it on alcohol."

Damon rolled his eyes, elbowing her arm gently.

She grinned, swatting him back.

"So, are you trying to tell me that we're going to be staying in this car for… how long exactly?"

"As long as it takes Klaus to realize you're gone, and move on."

"But, he'll obviously leave someone in Mystic Falls in case I come back…"

Damon winced, obviously guilty of something.

"I know."

"Then, when are we going home?"

Damon sighed.

"We aren't, Elena."

"What? Damon!"

"I'm sorry, Elena! But, I've told you all of this before! I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect you!"

"Even if it means taking me away from my family and friends forever?"

"It isn't going to be forever, Elena. Just long enough for Klaus to die. Then, I'll take you home, and you can live happily ever after with my un-compelled brother."

Elena frowned, looking out the window, watching her hometown fly past her as Damon sped out of Mystic Falls.

Damon frowned, looking over at her.

"I'm sorry, Elena."

She just shook her head, refusing to look at him.

"I'm just trying to protect you. Honestly, I think I would rather have you hate me than have you dead."

She frowned at him.

"Congratulations; you got your wish."

Damon felt his stomach clench, but continued to drive, the car zooming past the sign that read "You are now leaving Mystic Falls. Come back soon!"


	2. Chapter 2 Roadtrip

Elena refused to speak to Damon for hours. In fact, it was dark before either of them said another word.

"I'm hungry." She complained.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that. We're on the highway driving at 150 miles per hour." He said sarcastically. Obviously, his hurt at her words earlier had turned into classic Damon-irritation. He was only trying to protect her, and she was making _him_ seem like the bad guy!

Elena glared.

"You mean to tell me that you kidnapped me, intend to drive me all across America, and you didn't even bring any food?"

"Yup."

She turned sharply away from him, glaring out the window.

"This is ridiculous. Stefan would never have-"

"Stefan is out to get your blood right now, Elena! Don't even think about comparing me to him!" Damon yelled, clutching the steering wheel tightly, staring straight ahead.

Elena's lip trembled and she looked down at her feet.

Damon turned his glare on her, and felt his anger melt away at how miserable she looked.

"Elena…" he sighed, shaking his head.

Instead of trying to convince her how sorry he was, he simply reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly.

"Believe me, Elena, no one wants Klaus dead more than I do. But, I have to take care of you first."

She looked up at him and sniffled.

"I know."

She leaned on his shoulder in the dark car, closing her eyes, tears trailing down her cheeks.

Damon pulled his arm gently out from underneath her, wrapping it around her shoulders instead.

She nuzzled into his side and let her tears fall silently down her cheeks.

"Don't cry." He whispered, rubbing her shoulder and her arm comfortingly.

"How can't I? People who I thought cared about me are after my blood! All I am is a human blood bag!"

Damon frowned, shaking his head.

"No, you aren't."

She was shivering now.

"I… am…" she said, trembling.

Damon then realized she wasn't shivering because she was crying.

It was snowing outside, freezing, and he didn't have the heat in the car on. Elena didn't even have her jacket with her.

He pulled over and turned the heat on high, taking off his leather jacket and handing it to her.

She sniffled.

"Thanks…"

She put it on and snuggled back under his arm, attempting to get warm.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I never even thought…"

"No, it's okay…" she gave him a small smile. "At least I know you care."

He looked out the window at the snow coming down viciously outside. There was no way they could safely get to the next turnoff. The car was black, so they could pretty much guarantee anyone tailing them would drive right by without even noticing them.

"Why don't we just stop here for the night? You can get some sleep and I'll keep watch."

She nodded, closing her eyes. She hadn't realized just how tired she was until now. It had to be nearing or past midnight.

He ran his fingers through her hair.

"You don't have to be scared," he assured her. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you; especially my brother."


	3. Chapter 3 Dopplegangers and Pancakes

Surprisingly, Elena slept the entire night away until late the next morning. When she finally woke up, the sun was shining brightly, a layer of snow on the ground outside, and Damon was driving again.

"Where are we?" Elena asked, rubbing her eyes groggily.

Damon grinned.

"Out of Virginia; that's all you need to know for now."

Elena frowned.

"Why?"

Damon grinned at her.

"Because it's a surprise, that's why."

Elena furrowed her brow.

"What kind of surprise?"

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Elena sighed, smiling.

"I guess not."

A while later, they pulled into a small town.

"Coridilla?" Elena asked, the town's name not familiar in the slightest.

Damon shrugged.

"It's a very small, remote town. I stress the term 'remote'." His grin slipped a bit. "No one will ever think to look for us here."

"How long are we staying?" Elena asked.

"I don't know yet. I have friends here, though; friends who won't rat us out."

Elena frowned.

"By friends, you mean…?"

"Yes; vampires."

Elena bit her lip.

"What do they think of you bringing a human to town?"

"Well… they don't exactly know. They aren't big on texting. Or calling. Or communication, in general, actually."

Elena frowned.

"Why?"

"They're in hiding, which is exactly why we're staying with them. Klaus can't track us down if he doesn't know where they are, either."

Elena's eyes widened.

"Klaus is after them, too?"

Damon nodded.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

When she frowned, he shrugged, defenseless.

"They're big on secrecy, and I swore I wouldn't tell!"

Elena frowned.

"And since when do you keep your word?"

Damon frowned.

"I always keep my word!"

"To anyone other than me?"

Damon grinned.

"Alright, alright; guilty. I promise I'll tell you; after we leave."

Elena sighed; that was better than nothing.

"Ah ha! Here we are." Damon said, turning off the road and parking by a snow covered sidewalk.

He got out and walked over to her door, opening it for her.

"Milady?" he said, grinning and holding out his hand to her.

She grinned back, shaking her head and unbuckling her seat belt, taking his hand.

She gasped when he pulled her out quickly and she found herself in his arms.

He bit his lip.

"Sorry… I guess I don't know my own strength."

But Elena could see a glimmer of laughter in his eyes.

She shook her head, swatting his arm.

"Hey!" he objected, rubbing his arm. "You don't swat the man whose jacket you're wearing."

Elena looked down, realizing his words were true. She blushed.

"Oh. Here-"

She started to take it off, and Damon shook his head in objection.

"No, keep it on. It's cold, and you don't have one." He grinned. "And it's not like I need it or anything."

She grinned and shook her head, following him down the sidewalk.

"So, where are we going?"

"To get you some food."

Elena's eyes widened hopefully.

"What are we getting?"

"I hope you like pancakes." He said, opening a door for her.

When the door opened, a small bell tinkled and the smell of warm batter and syrup wafted out into the cold.

"Ladies first." Damon grinned and she hurried inside, her stomach growling already.

A young man with short, auburn hair greeted them.

His blue eyes widened.

"Mr. Salvatore. Miss Pierce-"

"Gilbert." Damon corrected. "Elena Gilbert."

The man's eyes widened.

"She's the doppelganger."

Elena's eyes widened and she took a step back, turning her eyes up at Damon.

"You said that I would be safe here-"

"You are," Damon assured her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "This is Bryce. Bryce McCatherine."

Elena looked up at him, confusion clear in her eyes.

"He's one of the… people in the same boat we are."

Bryce frowned.

"She isn't a vampire. Damon, how is she alive? If you think you can hide her here, you're crazy; not if Klaus is looking for her-"

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Relax, Bryce; he doesn't know you're here. But, I do need to hide Elena here."

Bryce shook his head.

"You can't-"

"Bryce, what's going on?"

Elena and Damon both looked up to see a young woman with long blonde hair. For a second, Elena thought it was Rebekah; the resemblance was startling.

"Oh, my God." Both Elena and the woman said at the same time.

"Katherine? Are you mad? Bringing her here while Klaus is on the hunt for the doppelganger-"

Bryce frowned.

"She _is_ the doppelganger, Lizzie."

The blonde gaped in horror.

"No! Damon, you incompetent moron-!"

Damon glared.

"I need to protect her from him, Elizabeth!"

"No. I won't let you stay here. Get out of our restaurant, get out of our town-"

"Damon, what's going on? Why does she look like-?" Elena asked nervously.

"Rebekah? Klaus's sister? Oh, yes, don't I know it."

The woman, Elizabeth, was sneering angrily.

"As it turns out, I'm related to Klaus and Rebekah's… lineage. But… I was born human." Elizabeth's expression, if possible, grew darker. "He turned me, and then killed my family, so that the 'disgusting human offspring' couldn't continue to tarnish his family name."

"Why didn't he kill you, too?" Elena asked.

Elizabeth stabbed a fork into the counter she was standing behind.

"Because," she sneered, "He had already killed his sister once, and didn't want to do it again. But he did, anyway. He just made sure I had his blood in me when he did it."

"How did you end up here? And why is Klaus after you…?"

Elizabeth frowned at the auburn man.

"That would be Bryce's fault. After Klaus turned me, he abandoned me in the middle of San Francisco. Bryce found me and took me under his wing. But, according to Klaus, Bryce wasn't good enough to teach his," she sneered, "_Family_ the ropes. So, he tried to kill him."

Elizabeth stopped there, and Elena frowned.

"I don't understand. Why is Klaus still following you-"

"Because, you moron! Bryce wasn't supposed to live! But we escaped from him, and now he wants to kill us both." She sneered at Elena. "And you being here isn't helping matters. Damon, I want her out. I want both of you out, now!"

Damon frowned.

"Fine. We'll leave. But I suppose this means you don't want to here about my plan to kill Klaus."

Elizabeth and Bryce both gaped at Damon, and so did Elena.

"_Plan? What plan, Damon?_" she said, suddenly very queasy. She should have known he was doing something behind her back.

He sighed and sat at a bar stool, motioning for her to do the same.

"Relax, Elena. Bryce, get her a large stack of pancakes. She hasn't eaten since Mystic Falls yesterday."

Bryce headed for the kitchen, and Elizabeth continued to gape.

"Mystic Falls? _The_ Mystic Falls? The one in Virginia? He's there?"

Damon waved over one of the bar girls.

"Bourbon." He told her, and she nodded, walking off to get his drink.

"Correction;" he said to Elizabeth. "_They _are in Mystic Falls."

The girl passed Damon his drink and he took a sip.

"_They? _What do you mean, _they?_"

Damon took another sip and put his glass down.

"Rebekah."

Elizabeth clutched the countertop so tightly that her nails dug into the wood.

"You mean to tell me she's alive? Why?"

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we keep Elena here, keep things quiet, and hope that they pass by this one horse town completely."

Elizabeth looked ready to rip Damon's head off.

"_YOU BROUGHT THE DOPPELGANGER TO MY TOWN WHEN YOU KNEW HE WAS LOOKING FOR HER? WHEN YOU KNEW HE WAS LOOKING FOR __**US**__? DAMON, YOU SELFISH, STUPID-" _

"Lizzie!"

Bryce rushed out, dropping Elena's plate of pancakes in front of her and turning to Elizabeth, looking frightened.

"Keep your voice down! The last thing we need is for," he looked at the restaurant full of humans, "_Them _to get suspicious. This is the closest we've been to safe in a long time-"

"Not anymore! Not with them here! Bryce, I don't care if he has a plan to kill Klaus, I want them _OUT!_"

With that, she turned and walked into the backroom, slamming the door behind her.

Damon swirled his drink in his glass.

"Well, that didn't go very smoothly…"

Bryce was glaring.

"Damon, get out. I'm completely with Lizzie on this one; it isn't safe for us if you're here-"

"Well, where else do you propose I go?"

He stood up and pulled Bryce aside.

"I know that all you care about is protecting Elizabeth. Well, I know how you feel."

Damon's gaze was more intense than Bryce had ever seen before. He wasn't the same party-going-bad-boy he had been the last time he saw him.

"All I care about is protecting Elena."

He stared Bryce straight in the eye, as if to convey his desperation.

"Help me."

Bryce frowned.

"What about Katherine? Is she going to come sauntering in here next?"

Damon frowned.

"No! I could care less if Katherine had her head ripped off. All I want is a place to hide Elena for a few days, until I figure out where to take her next."

Bryce sighed.

"Why do you care so much? If she's just a human, why not let Klaus have her, and get it over with? It would get him off your back."

Damon frowned.

"He isn't on my back. He's on hers. And she's _not_ just a human." Damon's face twitched, and Bryce saw how desperate and afraid he was. "I love her."

Bryce frowned, glancing at the back door.

"Lizzie isn't going to like this…"

"Please, Bryce."

Bryce sighed.

"Alright, alright; I'll show you a place where you can stay. But only for a week, tops. _And Lizzie can't find out._"

Damon nodded.

"Done."

"Good." Bryce looked up at Elena, who was nervously picking at her pancakes. "Go get your girl."


	4. Chapter 4 For Rent Sort Of

"The humans who live here are on vacation for the holidays, and won't be back until after New Years. You should be safe in here."

Bryce led them into a small, two story house.

Elena frowned when they went into the living room.

"But, they have a Christmas tree up. Why would they put that up if they weren't going to be home for Christmas?"

"It's a Robinson family tradition. Even if they aren't going to be home, they have to decorate at least one tree."

"At least one?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bryce grinned.

"Just be happy they didn't put one in the bathroom this year."

He then led them upstairs.

"There are three bedrooms and a bathroom, plus their father's study." He showed them two small bedrooms; one was pink, and one was blue; clearly the bedrooms of two small children. Then he showed them a bigger, more adult room with a king sized bed. Everything in the room was either a dark shade of brown, orange, or red.

Once the tour was over, they walked back downstairs.

"Do they have any alcohol?" Damon asked, looking through the fridge and the cupboards.

Elena frowned.

"I think you can live without drinking for a few days."

Damon frowned.

"Maybe, but I also happened to have not brought any blood for myself, either."

Elena's eyes widened, and he shrugged.

"We could never make it across any state boarders if I had a bag full of blood-bags in the trunk."

"Couldn't you just compel them to let us through?"

Damon rolled his eyes.

"The entire point of this trip is to keep a low profile, Elena. Compelling people isn't exactly the best way to do that."

Bryce cleared his throat, bringing their attention back to him.

"You're going to want to move your car somewhere, so Lizzie thinks you left."

Damon nodded.

"Yeah, whatever."

Bryce sighed and left the house, clearly not wanting to be any more involved than he had to be.

Elena sat on the couch in the living room, eyeing the Christmas tree.

"This feels… wrong, Damon."

"What does? Being alive?" he asked, a bit rudely.

Elena frowned.

"No; being in someone else's house. We're technically breaking and entering-"

"Relax, Elena. Bryce wouldn't let us stay here if he didn't think it was a good idea. Now, stay here for a few minutes while I find a place to hide the car."

Elena's eyes widened.

"You're just going to leave me here? Damon-!"

He approached her with vampire speed, kneeling before her and looking into her eyes.

"Elena, you'll be fine. If you don't trust Bryce, than trust me; _I _wouldn't let you stay here if I didn't think you would be safe."

She took a shaky breath, looking down.

"I… I just don't want to be here alone." She said.

Damon sighed.

"You can come with me if it means so much to you."

She nodded and he gave her a small smile.

"Come on, then."

She followed him out of the house and they walked back to the car.

VvvvV

Inside the restaurant, Elizabeth quickly dialed a number onto the phone on the wall.

She glanced out the window at the retreating pair.

"Hello, Klaus? I have a proposition for you."

"Oh?" the voice on the other end asked in a thick British accent.

"How would you like to give Bryce and me our freedom… for the doppelganger?"


	5. Chapter 5 Count Damula

It had started to snow again outside, rather hard.

Elena frowned from inside the car.

"How are we supposed to get back from here?"

"Well, if you had stayed at the house, I could have just run, but you just had to come…"

She could tell from his tone and grin that he was joking, but she couldn't help feeling guilty.

"What are we going to do?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I could still run; I'd just have to carry you."

She blushed.

"Oh…"

He grinned.

"Is that a problem for you? Because, if it is, we could just walk back in the snow for hours, and hours, and hours-"

"Alright, alright; I get it. You can… carry me."

He grinned.

"Perfect."

The next thing she knew, he was pulling her out of the car, into his arms, and running back to town at a startling pace.

She gasped and clung tightly to his neck, her eyes wide.

A few moments later, they were standing on the front step of the house.

"Now, wasn't that the better choice?" Damon asked, grinning at her expression.

She took a deep breath, attempting to slow her pounding heart.

He grinned and sat her on her feet.

When he did, she stumbled and he caught her, their faces inches from each other.

Elena stood, her eyes wide, paralyzed with shock.

She knew he wanted more than anything to kiss her, and was surprised when he bit his lip, standing straight again and opening the door.

She walked in and headed for the living room again, sitting back down on the couch.

"Are you going to say something?" he asked, leaning against the frame of the entrance.

She looked up at him. Snow was glistening in his black hair, and he looked a bit worried.

"I'm hungry." Were the first words that stumbled out of her mouth.

Both were silent for a few minuets, before Damon chuckled.

"Well, why don't you come into the kitchen and look for something?"

Elena frowned.

"Won't the people who live here wonder where their food went?"

Damon shrugged.

"Bryce will take care of them."

Elena sighed, standing up and following him into the kitchen with its island in the middle and shiny oak cabinets.

"What can I get for you?" Damon asked as if showing her into his own kitchen.

"Um… anything is fine."

"Well, we have," Damon opened the fridge and grimaced. "Tofu. Great. A bunch of vegetarians. Bryce failed to mention that."

"They must have more than just tofu." Elena said.

Damon shrugged.

"It depends on what you like. There's certainly no meat in here."

Elena walked over to the fridge beside him and looked in.

"We could see if you're as good at making soup as you are at making chili."

He grinned, tossing several packs of vegetables on the island.

"Elena, when you've been alive for over 150 years, cooking becomes one of your strong points."

Elena raised an eyebrow.

"And why would that be? It's not like you have to eat."

"Well, did you ever think maybe I like to? We also can't have kids." He grinned. "But, we do love to try…"

Elena smacked his arm, rolling her eyes.

"Just make the soup, lover boy."

"My pleasure." He said, taking a knife out and chopping carrots.

Elena walked back into the living room and flopped back down on the couch, looking around the room.

Her eyes fell on a remote sitting on the black leather couch beside her, so she picked it up and turned on the TV.

It was a large HD TV, and it was set on a sports channel. She flicked to the guide and started scrolling through TV shows.

She giggled when she came across "Dracula", and decided to turn it on.

The last time she had seen "Dracula" had been a few years before she had met Stefan and Damon. Which, of course, meant Dracula was the most realistic vampire she had ever seen.

Now, it was laughable.

An hour later, Damon entered the darkening living room, handing her a bowl of soup and flopping down beside her.

She inhaled the scent and beamed, digging in.

Damon grinned.

"Well? Is it up to your standards?"

She grinned, swallowing her first bite.

"Well, it's not as good as I hoped it would be…" she said, grinning and glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

Damon scoffed, gently smacking her arm.

"Oh, ha ha ha…" he glanced at the TV and raised an eyebrow.

"Dracula? Really, Elena?" he asked, shaking his head.

"It's funny." She said, grinning.

He raised an eyebrow at the hideous man that was the Count.

"Funny? I thought most people found it gruesome…"

Elena shook her head.

"Well, they don't know any real vampires, do they?"

Damon considered this, and then shrugged.

"True enough."

The pair sat and watched the movie while Elena ate. A while later, there was a rather gory scene with a lot of blood, and Elena heard Damon wincing.

She looked up.

"What's wrong…?"

Her question was answered when she looked at his face, though.

His eyes were bloodshot with veins surrounding them, and his teeth were protruding from beneath his top lip.

"I can't control it…" he complained, grimacing.

Elena's eyes widened.

"It's because you haven't fed in over a day! Damon, you need to feed-"

"I can't, Elena!"

His face scrunched up as he forced his fangs back in and snatched the remote, turning off the TV.

"Neither of us can leave this house again until we leave for good! If Elizabeth catches us, she'll kill us!"

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Don't be stupid, Damon-"

Damon grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"You don't know Elizabeth like I do. She will do anything to keep herself and Bryce safe. _Anything_."

He looked away and sighed.

"Even if it means killing perfectly innocent people."

Elena frowned, glancing around. As they watched the movie, the room had gotten completely dark, and street lamps were on outside. Snow swirled around outside behind the curtains, now a full blown storm.

Elena, biting her lip, pulled her hair over to one side of her neck, exposing her throat.

"You need to drink, Damon."

His eyes widened.

"Elena, don't be an idiot-"

"I'm not being an idiot, Damon! You fed me," she blushed. "Now it's my turn to feed you."

Damon frowned.

"Elena, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

She brought her hand up and stroked the veins beneath his eye with her thumb.

"You were the one who said you needed to protect me. And you can't do that if you're thirsty."

Damon twisted his lip in conflict, stroking her neck in a gentle caress with his knuckles.

"I can't hurt you, Elena."

"It won't hurt as much if I don't fight you." She said, but he could tell she was afraid.

He stroked her neck again, and brought his lips down to her throat. He felt his fangs extend, and Elena's pulse increased when she felt the cool, sharp tips near her neck.

She pretended she wasn't afraid, but it was human instinct. Whenever a predator threatens them, their pulse quickens. It's what creates the thrill of a chase for vampires.

Elena squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting the sting of his fangs sinking into her flesh.

But it didn't come.

Instead, he placed a soft, feather-light kiss where his lips were.

Elena let out a shaky sigh, her eyelids relaxing from their tight stance.

Damon pulled away, his eyes sad.

"I won't hurt you, Elena. I could never do that to you, ever again."

She opened her eyes, sighing.

"But, you need blood."

He shook his head.

"Not badly enough that I would drink yours."

She gave him a small smile and lied down in his arms, shutting her eyes in the darkness.

He ran his fingers through her hair, sighing and glancing at the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree.

"Elena?" Damon asked, and looked down to find her asleep in his arms, her eyelids fluttering in a dream.

He smiled and stroked her cheek gently, relishing in the feeling of her in his arms. He had a feeling that, once Stefan got his emotions back, he wouldn't get to experience it very often.

He felt his heart breaking at the idea of any intimacy he had reached with Elena being gone with the snap of Stefan's fingers. Why was it that the things Damon wanted most, Stefan _always _got? He had never really had a fair chance with Katherine; she had fallen in love with Stefan before Damon even met her.

He had certainly had no chance with Elena, either. Stefan always managed to get there first. And, once Stefan got a girl, or anyone, in his clutches, he was never going to loosen his grip. Especially not if Damon was around.

He stroked Elena's hair again, sighing heavily.

He loved her so much more than he had ever cared for Katherine; he would give his life up for Elena in an instant.

But… would she do the same for him?

He shifted her gently so as not to wake her, and picking her up in his arms, carrying her up to the master bedroom and pulling back the blankets on the bed, gently laying her down and tucking them around her.

He then walked over to the other side of the bed and lied beside her, watching over her as she slept.

No one was going to hurt her.

Especially not Klaus.

Absolutely not his brother.


	6. Chapter 6 Nightmares

A part of Elena knew she was dreaming.

But it just felt so _real_.

She was standing in the Mystic Falls high school gym, wearing a long, flowing red silk dress.

The entire room was decorated, with balloons of the school colors lying on the floor. A large banner hung from the score board that read "Mystic Falls High School Class of 2012".

_Prom? _Elena thought in confusion. Well, it would certainly explain the dress and the decorations. _But… where is everyone? _

She just realized the gym was vacant other than her. Had she arrived late? Was she early?

"Hello, Elena."

She turned to see Stefan, clad in a clean cut suit, lounging in the doorway, smiling at her.

"You look beautiful."

She smiled brilliantly.

"Stefan! What's going on? Where is everyone?"

Stefan grinned and walked up to her, glancing around the gym at the decorations.

"It's a special prom, Elena; one for just you and I."

She smiled.

"Did you do all of this for me?"

Stefan smiled and extended his hand.

"Of course I did."

A slow waltz began playing on the speakers, and he gestured to his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Elena smiled, taking his hand.

"Of course you may."

He pulled her close and began whirling her around the room in a difficult waltz Elena didn't know all the steps to.

When she had fumbled quite a few times, he slowed the waltz down to one more common, and Elena rested her head on his shoulder.

"This is all so perfect…"

"Yes, it is." Stefan agreed.

"_ELENA!_"

Elena's eyes flew up to the gym doors, which had burst open to reveal a terrified looking Damon, who seemed disheveled from running.

"Elena, don't trust him! It's a trap!"

Elena frowned.

"Damon? What are you doing here…?"

Stefan chuckled.

"Hello, Damon. Decided to join us, have you?"

Damon snarled and stalked up to them.

"Don't you feel any shame at all in what you're doing? Using her feelings for you against her?"

Elena, whose eyes had been focused on Damon, turned to look at Stefan.

"Stefan, what's he talking about…?"

The grin on Stefan's face was so unlike him that Elena had to repress a shudder. The look he was giving his brother was… gleeful in all the wrong ways. Like he was plotting ways to kill him, and enjoying it far too much.

"Elena, we're leaving." Damon said, making a grab for her hand.

Stefan pulled her out of his reach roughly, making Elena screech in surprise.

"Ah, ah, ah; not so fast, brother. You aren't really going to spoil Elena's and my evening, are you?"

Stefan was holding onto her much too tightly, and Elena could feel the muscles in her upper arms screaming in protest.

Elena whimpered.

"Stefan, you're hurting me…"

Something in Damon's eyes snapped.

"Let her go, Stefan. _Now_."

Stefan shrugged and shook his head.

"Nope. I don't think I will."

He gripped her arms tighter, and Elena gave an agonized cry.

Something in Damon snapped and he lunged at his brother, fangs exposed.

Stefan threw Elena off to the side, sending her flying into the refreshment table, splattering punch on her dress. The red on red liquid was giving it the impression of oozing blood and, for a moment, Elena herself thought it may be just that.

But, her attention was quickly brought back to the dueling brothers before her.

"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE HER ALONE!" Damon roared, shoving Stefan, with vampiric speed, into the gym wall with a deafening crack.

Stefan snarled and gave an irritated roar, quickly pinning Damon to the gym floor.

"Face it, Damon; given the choice, she would rather stay here with me while I hurt her than ever go anywhere with you."

The agonized look on Damon's face tore Elena apart inside.

"No, Damon; don't listen! It's not true-!"

"Shut up!" Stefan roared at her, and pulled a sharpened stake from inside his suit jacket.

"NO!" Elena screamed and dove forward as Stefan held it over his head above Damon's chest.

Stefan flicked her away like a pesky fly, sending her flying in the wall.

Her head hit the wall and, for a moment, she saw only fireworks of light. But they cleared off just in time to see Stefan bring the stake down and drive it into Damon's chest.

With a horrible gasp, Damon's skin turned mummy-like, and then he was still.

"No…" Elena whispered in shock, shaking her head.

Gazing at Damon, dead, and the satisfied look on Stefan's face, Elena broke.

"No! No, Damon, no! _NO!_"

Sobbing, she ran forward, collapsing by his side.

She was startled to find Stefan nowhere in sight.

She quickly yanked the stake from Damon's chest, exposing a hole in his black leather jacket and silk black shirt.

Beneath the layers was a hole leading into his forever stilled heart.

"Oh, Damon, no…" she sobbed, falling on top of him in a fit of sobs.

Arms wove themselves around her, and she ceased her sobbing.

"D-Damon…?" she asked tentatively, but her voice trailed off into an agonized scream when Stefan sank his teeth into her throat, draining her blood.


	7. Chapter 7 Emotions

"Elena! _Elena!_"

She woke with a start to find she had been screaming. Damon was hovering above her nervously, his blue eyes worried.

"Damon! Oh, Damon!" she sobbed, clinging to his neck, drawing him closer to her.

"Elena, what's wrong?" he asked, pulling her up into his lap and brushing her tangled hair from her eyes.

"I… I had a nightmare… Stefan… he… he attacked you, and then he… he… he…!"

"Elena, calm down!" Damon said; she was getting hysterical.

"Oh, Damon! He killed you, and then he attacked me!"

Damon's blue eyes darkened with an emotion Elena was unsure of; she couldn't tell if it was sympathy, worry, love, fury, or a combination of them all.

Either way, Damon had never looked at her quite like that before.

"Elena, listen to me."

He lifted her chin so she would look at him through her tears.

"No one, and I mean _no one_, is going to hurt you while I'm around."

He gave her a small grin.

"I also certainly don't plan on being slain by my little brother."

She buried her face in his shirt, indulging in him just being alive, and that it was only a dream.

"Don't ever leave me like that." She whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Promise me."

He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I promise, Elena."

She nodded, snuggling back into his arms again.

"Damon?" she asked cautiously, staring at the wall.

"Mmm?" he asked, his face buried in her hair.

"I… I…"

"Yes, princess?" he asked, grinning.

She met his eyes, and the sarcasm in his face fell away at the intensity in her eyes.

"I love you, Damon."

Damon's blue eyes widened in shock. Had Elena just… proclaimed her love… to _him_?

"Are you sure _I'm _not dreaming now?" he asked.

She placed a soft kiss on his lips, pulling away after a few seconds.

"Did you feel that?"

His eyes were hungry.

"Absolutely." He said, and she kissed him again, letting him respond this time.

Damon had kissed Katherine countless times back in 1864, and he had always thought that kissing Elena would be the same. But it wasn't.

It was a million times kissing Katherine.

He felt like every fiber of his being was on fire, especially where her body was touching his. He thought his heart was going to beat out of his stone hard chest, and continue to flutter on the ground before him. He thought that, perhaps, Stefan _had _killed him, and he had died, again, and somehow managed to go to heaven.

Kissing Katherine had never had _that_ effect on him, and he had thought he was in love with her for 145 years.

Elena pulled away, gasping for breath.

"Did… did you feel that?" she gasped, her eyes wide.

"Like I was going to burn to ash at any second?"

Elena nodded.

Damon grinned, falling onto his back on the bed beside her.

"Hell yes."

Elena was frowning now, though, looking thoroughly confused.

"Didn't you find it… odd?"

Damon frowned, turning his head to look at her.

"Odd?" he asked, a bit snippy.

Elena's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, no! No, I didn't mean it in a bad way."

She pressed her lips to his again once more to reassure him, and then quickly pulled away; it was as if kissing Damon sent an electric shock through her body.

"What _is_ that?" she asked.

Damon rolled over on top of her and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I don't know. But, I wouldn't necessarily say it feels _bad_."

Elena nodded in agreement.

"That's kind of my point. I've never gotten that feeling from kissing anyone before now."

Damon slowly nodded in agreement.

"Neither have I."

Elena frowned.

"Not even when you kissed Katherine?"

Damon scoffed.

"Kissing Katherine was _nothing_ compared to kissing you."

"But… shouldn't it feel the same? We're basically identical…"

Damon shook his head.

"Elena, you may look like her, but you are not Katherine. You will never be Katherine. Even if you turned into a vampire and became a raving bitch, you could still never be Katherine."

He grinned and stroked her cheek tenderly.

"There's something about you that Katherine could never have."

Elena raised an eyebrow, but she was grinning.

"Oh? And what's that?"

Damon smiled.

"Purity." He kissed her cheek lovingly.

"Kindness." He kissed her other cheek.

"A generous soul," he kissed her forehead and met her eyes.

"And a beautiful heart that I can only dream of having a place in."

Elena smiled softly and stroked his cheek.

"You already do have a place in my heart."

He smiled and kissed her lips again, gently, feeling the fire under his skin burning pleasurably.

Elena wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back just as gently, the fire enveloping her, as well.

Then, there was a knock on the door below.

Damon hastily pulled away and glared over at the electric clock.

"Who the hell would be knocking on someone's door at three a.m.?"

Elena suddenly looked very afraid.

"Damon; Bryce said the family who lives here is on vacation. Wouldn't anyone coming to see them know they weren't home?"

Damon's lips curled back in a snarl.

"Damon," Elena whimpered, clinging tightly to him.

He turned his gaze back to her, and his eyes softened.

"No one is going to hurt you." He promised her, stroking her hair and kissing her lips again.

Another, more demanding knock sounded and Damon pulled away, hissing profanities under his breath as he stood up.

Elena followed in pursuit, clinging tightly to his arm.

They reached the door and Damon glanced through the peep hole.

He rolled his eyes and flung the door open.

"You sold us out, you moron?"

Damon was yelling at Bryce over the shoulder of Elizabeth, who was glaring at him viciously.

"I told you to leave." She hissed, tossing a death glare at Elena over Damon's shoulder.

Damon took a protective step in front of her and glared at Elizabeth.

"Give us a break, Elizabeth. We'll be out of your hair tomorrow."

He attempted to shut the door and Elizabeth threw her hand out, denting the wood.

"I don't think so! You are leaving right now!"

Damon glared at Bryce, standing behind Elizabeth.

"Why do you let her push you around like this? _You_ clearly don't have any problem with us staying here, seeing as though you showed us the damn house!"

Bryce grimaced apologetically.

"It wasn't my fault; she knew you were here. I didn't tell her anything-"

"Elizabeth, please," Elena plead, peaking around Damon's arm. "I know what you're going through; Klaus is after me, too-"

"Shut up!" Elizabeth roared at a startling pitch. "Just shut up! You should be dead right now! If you had died like you should have in the sacrifice, then you wouldn't be here right now, and Klaus wouldn't be this much closer to finding me! Now, get out of my town, you selfish little bitch…!"

Damon moved at a startling speed, smacking Elizabeth across the face with such force that she flew into the stone wall bordering the porch.

Bryce snarled at Damon.

"Don't you touch her, Damon, or I swear I'll-"

"Or you'll what? You'll hide behind her, like you always do, and hope she's a decent fighter?"

Bryce lunged forward and Damon threw him aside, too.

He towered over them both menacingly, his fangs extended.

"Don't forget that I'm older than both of you two combined, and I could rip you apart right now if I wanted to."

He gave Elizabeth's leg a kick for emphasis, and Bryce growled in anger, lunging forward. But, instead of going for Damon, he flew at Elena, yanking her head to the side by her hair and sinking his fangs into her throat.

Elena gave an agonized scream and Damon flew forward, ripping him off and tossing him into a wall.

He snapped a leg off of a hall table and, without blinking an eye, plunged it into Bryce's heart.

His eyes widened in shock, and then his body mummified, and he was gone.

Elizabeth gave an agonized sob, shaking her head.

"No… no, Damon, oh no…" she bawled, crawling forward to Bryce's corpse.

Elena was horrified by what she had just witnessed. It was like her dream being played out before her eyes, but with different characters. Elizabeth took her place, Bryce taking Damon's, and…

Damon taking Stefan's.

She shook her head and ran up the stairs, and Damon quickly looked up to see her disappear into the bedroom.

He then realized the awful, compulsive mistake he had made.

Kicking the wall in frustration, he ran up the stairs and into the room, where he found Elena, her neck still bleeding, sobbing on the bed.

"Oh, no… Elena, I…"

"How could you do that, Damon?" she gasped, her watery brown eyes meeting his.

"Elena, he was going to kill you…"

"She loved him, Stefan!"

Damon's eyes widened, as did Elena's, and she bit down on her lip, burying her face in the pillows, continuing to sob.

"Elena, I'm sorry…"

"Sorry won't change your actions, Damon. Sorry won't fix the heart you just staked, or the one you broke."

Damon bit his lip, started to say something, and then shut his mouth again.

She was right.

He walked out of the room and closed the door, sinking down the wall in the hallway.

He could hear Elizabeth sobbing below, and buried his face in his hands.

The combination of Elizabeth's and Elena's whimpering was nearly too much for him. He was nearing his breaking point, and it wouldn't end well if he reached it.

Suddenly, it was quiet below, and he looked up in confusion.

Elizabeth was standing in front of him, her eyes red, but not from bloodlust. From crying.

"Damon, I…"

He shook his head and put his face on his knees.

"I'm sorry." She choked out.

He looked up in confusion.

"_You're _sorry? What do you have to be sorry for? I just staked your boyfriend. I'm the one who should be apologizing…"

Elizabeth shook her head and sat beside him.

"He attacked the dop- Elena." She met his eyes. "I know why you did it. I… understand."

Damon couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You _understand?_ How?"

She let out a shaky sigh.

"I would have, or at least tried, to do the same if someone attacked Bryce. He had no right to go at her like that…"

"No, he didn't." Damon said bitterly, glancing at the closed door that separated him from Elena. How had they gone from kissing each other drunk to… this?

Elizabeth took his hand.

"I want to help you. You can stay here as long as you need to protect her. Because… I know he would have done the same if it were me."

Her eyes glanced toward the stairs, and she stood up.

"I'm going to… take him."

Damon nodded.

"Elizabeth?" he asked as she neared the stairs.

She turned her head.

"Yes?"

"I really am sorry about… what I did."

"Coming from him, that means a lot."

Damon looked up to find Elena standing in the doorway, her eyes rimmed in red, but no tears left on her face.

He quickly stood up.

"Elena-" he started.

She shook her head and put up her hand.

His face fell, and he turned back to Elizabeth.

"Stop by the diner tomorrow, rather, later this morning if you want breakfast."

Elena nodded.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. This means so much to me."

Elizabeth nodded and, with vampiric speed, picked up Bryce and was gone with a slam of the door.

Damon glanced nervously at Elena, and she stared back.

"Why do you do things like that, Damon? Don't you ever think of how your actions impact other people?"

Damon's mouth clenched into a firm line, and he glared down at the floor.

"You don't understand, Elena."

"What don't I understand, Damon? Explain it to me, please! Please, fill me in on why you killed someone you told me was your friend!"

"He was a threat to you, Elena! He was going to _kill_ you! As soon as he attacked you, our friendship was forgotten. All I could think about was protecting you, and when I have my mind set on something, I act more rashly than I should. But I couldn't just throw him aside and risk him lunging at you again, or at me! If he had hurt you more than he had, I would have gone crazy! I may have ended up killing everyone in sight…!"

Elena silenced him by quickly walking forward and kissing his mouth mid-sentence, snaking her arms around his neck.

He felt his body flare up and pushed her into the wall, kissing her back passionately.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and an electric shock flew through his entire body, seeming to heighten his craving. For the moment, he felt like blood would never be a necessity for him ever again. The only thing he would ever crave from that moment on was Elena's touch, her mouth on his, her fingers running through his hair.

He rushed with vampiric speed into the bedroom, lying her down and kissing her neck, feeling his fangs extend.

Typically, with any other girl, this would have been the point in time when he would sink his fangs into their throat, feeling their warm life essence spilling into his mouth and into his veins.

But all he wanted was more of Elena. To feel her heat beneath him, her mouth moving furiously beneath his own, rapidly unbuttoning his black shirt.

"Wait." He said, pulling away very unwillingly.

"What?" she asked, her chest rising and falling quickly in a way that was driving Damon closer and closer at a very rapid pace to the brink of insanity.

"Elena… why are we doing this?"

She frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You… you don't really want me. You want _him_."

Elena held his bare shoulders, her eyes searching around in his.

"Damon… Stefan is a different person now. There's always the possibility that he'll never come back, and even if he does, he'll still be high on human blood… Damon, he's never going to be the man I fell in love with ever again."

Damon shook his head.

"Yes, he will, Elena. I promised you…"

"Well, what if I don't want you to keep that promise? What if I just want you to kiss me, to prove to me that you love me as much as you say you do?"

Torn, he stroked her hair.

"Elena… I want you to want me because you feel the same way I do, not because you're looking for a replacement until my brother comes back to you."

Elena glared.

"Damon, I just said…!"

"I know what you just said! But it doesn't matter, Elena! As soon as the compulsion breaks, he's going to be the same, brooding old Stefan he was, and you're going to run into his arms like it never happened! Like he never hurt you, or the people you love. You won't even care that it will hurt me, because all you'll see is Stefan. All anyone ever sees is Stefan."

He stood up and walked out of the room, and Elena sat up, her expression a mingle of hurt, anger, and confusion.

"Damon," she called.

When the only response she got to her call was the sound of the cork popping out of a wine bottle below, she glared.

"Damon!" she yelled, storming down the stairs after him.

When she entered the kitchen she found him downing a tall, black bottle of red wine.

He put it on the counter and stared at the floor, misery plain on his face.

"Damon, we need to talk. We have to figure out where our relationship stands…"

"We don't have a relationship, Elena!" he said, his eyes beginning to blur in a drunken way already. He took another miserable swig.

"In order for us to have a 'relationship', you would have to feel the same way I feel about you. You would only feel it for me if we had a relationship, and you wouldn't go running to my brother as soon as he's all better!"

He took another deep chug, and then tossed the empty bottle aside.

It shattered, sending sharp glass shards all over the kitchen floor.

"Damon, you aren't being fair. You won't even listen to me…!"

"What's there to listen to, Elena? You're in love with my brother. I will never be my brother. End of story."

She shook her head.

"I know that you will never be Stefan. But I love you for who you are, Damon! And, for all I know, you could still just be fooling around with my emotions because I look like Katherine! It's always been Katherine, hasn't it? I'm just her replacement to you…"

"No." Damon shook his head, his eyes looking a bit afraid. "No, Elena, you know that isn't true. I told you it isn't true so many times…"

"And I've told you that you aren't my replacement for Stefan, but would you listen to me?"

Damon opened his mouth, and then shut it again, looking down.

"I'm sorry that I can't be what he is to you…"

Elena stormed up to him, grabbing his face and kissing him forcefully, ignoring his pathetic, drunken objections.

"I don't want you to be Stefan!" she cried when she pulled away.

He looked away and she pulled his face back so that he had to look at her.

"Damon, look at me! _Listen to me!_"

He looked at her miserably.

"I don't want you to be Stefan. I want you to be you. Because I didn't just fall in love with Stefan; I fell in love with you, too! I'm still falling in love with you, and you've been treating me so much better than he does… Damon, the way you love me is different than the way he loves me. You love me with all of your heart, and I know that you do. But, I always feel like Stefan is holding back a piece of himself, because he's ashamed of what he is! But you're not!"

Damon looked confused.

"But… you always chose him before Klaus came…"

Elena looked ashamed.

"Damon, I know that you're right. Deep down in the deepest part of my heart, I know that you're right; I don't know what I want. But I do know that you aren't just some substitute for Stefan. You mean so much more than that to me. Why do you refused to accept that?"

Damon stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I'm so, so sorry…"

He cut himself off by kissing her, and she kissed him back, placing her hands on his muscled bare chest.

He laced his fingers in her hair, holding her head against his lips. Normally this was a kneejerk reaction, so that she wouldn't be able to pull away.

But he was fairly certain that wasn't going to be an issue this time.

Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her back upstairs without breaking the kiss.


	8. Chapter 8 Love is in the Past

Later that morning, Elena woke up to soft sunlight filtering through the curtains on the wall across from the bed.

But, when she rolled over expecting to find Damon's strong, muscled body, she just found empty air.

She knitted her brows together in confusion. Where could he have gone?

She looked up when the door opened and Damon poked his head inside.

He was glowing. There was no other word to describe his demeanor but glowing.

"Good morning, princess." He said, walking into the room, carrying a tray laden with the most extravagant breakfast-in-bed layout Elena had ever seen, and a small, wrapped box.

Her lip twitched up involuntarily as he sat beside her.

"What's all this?" she asked.

"Well, the not-so-subtle breakfast in bed a la Damon Salvatore, and a little gift I've been meaning to give you for a while."

She raised a brow.

"And why the sudden reason to give me a present?"

His eyes glittered.

"Oh!" he placed the tray on the floor and lay down beside her, kissing her forehead.

"Merry Christmas, Elena."

Her eyes widened.

"Christmas?" she cried, shocked.

He nodded.

"Oh, no! It can't be Christmas! This will be Jeremy's first Christmas without Mom and Dad _and_ Jenna! I can't let him spend it with no family!"

Damon's smile slipped, and he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I would take you home right now if I could, but Klaus, Tyler, and Stefan are still looking for you…"

She let out a shaky sigh.

"I- I know, but…"

"But you still wish you were home."

Elena met his eyes and nodded.

He nodded in agreement.

"I understand. I didn't want to spend my Christmas being hunted by Klaus, either." He made a thoughtful face.

"Actually, I usually don't do Christmas, typical."

Elena frowned in confusion.

"Why not?"

Damon shrugged.

"Well, what's the point in celebrating the time of giving… if you never had anyone to give anything to?"

Elena's eyes widened.

"Oh, Damon… I didn't know…"

He grinned and shrugged.

"It's alright. It didn't bother me. But, I must admit," he wrapped his arms around her. "It's nice to spend it with someone for a change."

Her eyes grew sad.

"I completely forgot about Christmas. I didn't realize it was so soon… I didn't get you anything."

Damon looked like he may burst out laughing.

"Elena, you don't have to get me anything. You've already made me the happiest un-dead 145 year old vampire in the world."

He placed a kiss to her lips and pulled back, smiling.

"Besides; I happen to have had this gift for quite some time."

Elena sat up when he picked up the tray again and handed her the box. It was fairly small, wrapped in silver, shiny paper with a purple bow that he must have found somewhere in the house.

"By quite some time, you mean…?"

He grinned.

"Since 1851."

Her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly pulled the paper off the box, suddenly itching to see what gift he was giving her that he'd had for 13 years before he became a vampire.

When she pulled the lid of the box, she found a large, golden locket, which had a deep blue stone set in it.

It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had seen in her entire life.

"Damon… it's beautiful." She said, lifting it out of the box, watching the stone catch the sunlight and send glitters of light across the room.

He smiled.

"It was my mother's. She…" his face and eyes lost nearly all traces of happiness that had been there, and Elena frowned.

"She gave it to me the night she died." He finished, looking down.

Sympathy filled Elena. Even after 160 years, he still mourned the loss of his mother.

"Damon, I'm so sorry…"

He gave her a shaky smile.

"I was only nine when she died. I loved my mother more than anything in the world… but she hadn't been the same for about four years before that."

Elena moved closer, listening intently.

"After Stefan was born… she started acting… differently. She had always fawned over everything I did. Of course, I had expected her to pay less attention once the baby was born… but I wasn't expecting her to lose all interest in me completely."

Elena's eyes widened.

"When Stefan was born, she changed. All she cared about was her new son, and everything he did. Even when he was sleeping, instead of speaking to me, she would sit by his crib and watch over him until he woke up. My father had been in the middle of teaching me fencing when Stefan was born… and after he was, the neglect started."

"If I tried to speak to my mother, he would lash out and tell me she was busy with Stefan, and that she didn't _want_ to talk to me. If I asked him if we were going to continue my lessons soon, he would tell me that he'd decided I wasn't old enough, or mature enough, or that _I should wait until Stefan was older, so that he could teach us both together._"

Damon's eyes grew glazed over in remembrance, and Elena could tell what he was about to say was extremely difficult.

"I remember one day, when Stefan was about three months old, I had been outside playing some stupid game with my friends. We were yelling and running around the estate, mock fighting each other. Apparently, I was being too loud and had woken up Stefan from his nap, and my mother was hysterical. '_If Stefan doesn't get his proper amount of sleep, he won't function! Make those boys be quite, Giuseppe!'_"

Damon's lip twitched in hurt and anger.

"So, he came outside with his horse whip and beat me within an inch of my life in front of all my friends and the servants, and he told me that if I ever woke up Stefan again, he would kill me. The worst part was, he was so furious when he said it… that I believed him."

Elena tightly clutched Damon's hand.

"A few months after that, she started to get sick. My father called in the best physicians he could find, but nothing helped. If anything, the more they treated her, the sicker she got. Finally, three years later… she was on her death bed, and called me in."

"She took my hand and squeezed it, and told me that she was sorry that she hadn't been the mother I deserved. I told her that it wasn't true, and that I couldn't have asked for better, but she just smiled and shook her head."

"She apologized over and over for favoring Stefan over me for close to half of my childhood, and said that she wished she had never done so. She just kept muttering, almost in a bit of a crazed way, that she hadn't been able to help it. That as soon as he was born, she had lost all interest in everything but him. It was true, too. She had stopped sewing, baking, gossiping with the other ladies of Mystic Falls."

He fidgeted with his lapis ring absentmindedly.

"Then her eyes seemed to glaze over, and she told me to fetch Stefan. That she needed to see her little boy once more before she passed. I did so, because I figured she wanted both of her sons with her when she… went. But, when I got back with Stefan and went to sit at her bedside again, she told me… she told me to get out."

Elena's eyes widened.

"I asked her why she didn't want me to stay, too, and she said it was because… because…"

Damon took a deep breath, his hands trembling.

"She said it was because all she needed was Stefan, and that it had always been Stefan. When I refused to go, she gave me her locket as a bribe. Stefan started screaming and crying that he wanted the locket, and her eyes seemed to glaze over even more, and she reached out her hand, telling me to give it back. I couldn't bear to watch her give it to him… so I ran. My father had come out of his study when he heard Mother and Stefan screaming and yelling my name, and he tried to stop me, but I ran out the door and kept running until I got into the woods."

He squeezed Elena's hand.

"I didn't come back until it got dark, and when I slipped inside, one of the servants told me that she was dead."

After a moment of silence, Elena realized he was finished.

"Oh, Damon…" she whispered, hugging him fiercely.

"I'm so sorry…" tears trailed down her cheeks; she didn't have any idea what else to say.

Damon shook his head, pulling her away slightly.

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault that Stefan was a spoiled brat." He gave a humorless laugh, and the sound was a bit tortured.

She stroked his cheek.

"I won't do that to you ever again, Damon." She promised. "I won't hurt you like she did."

He gave her a weak smile and took the locket from her grasp, unclasping it and fastening around her neck.

"Part of me wanted to take the locket and throw it off Wickery Bridge, just so that Stefan could never have it. But… the part of me that still loved my mother wanted me to keep it, and someday give it to the girl who meant just as much to me as she did. Because, if I find a girl who means that much to me… I might not miss my mother as much."

He gently pulled her hair out from beneath the lockets chain, stroking her shoulder.

Confused, Elena turned to face Damon.

"But, if that was the case… why didn't you give it to Katherine?"

Damon bit his lip.

"Katherine… wasn't like my mother at all. Whereas my mother had been kind and gentle, Katherine was cruel and caused pain to people who didn't deserve it. As much as I loved her… I couldn't bear seeing that symbol of my mother around her neck. I think it was partially because I knew she wouldn't understand why it meant so much to me. If anything, she would say it made me weak."

He searched around in Elena's eyes.

"But I know you would never do that." He smiled softly at her. "Sometimes you remind me of my mother, Elena. She may have been the image of purity, but she had fire inside of her, too. Especially when it came down to the ones she cared about. I can see that in you, too."

Elena smiled. Stefan had never once mentioned his mother. Was it because he didn't remember her well enough, or just because he didn't care as much as Damon had?

"I would be honored to wear this." She said, squeezing his hand, her eyes intense with the truth of her words.

He smiled, squeezing her hand back.

"I was hoping you would."

"I really do wish I had something to give you, though…"

He laughed.

"Elena, you gave me everything I could ever ask for when you said you loved me last night."

She smiled, and he passed her the breakfast tray.

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything else."

She laughed.

"Damon, practically every breakfast food imaginable is already here!"

"Yeah," he grinned. "Everything except bacon."

"Right; vegetarians."

He kissed her forehead.

"I might actually run down to the diner. Elizabeth is bound to have some kind of blood lying around, whether it be a blood bag or," he shuddered. "Raw animal meat."

She laughed.

"Heaven forbid you should have to indulge in animal blood."

He grinned.

"I'll be back in bit."

"Alright." She nodded, cutting into one of many pancakes before her. Of course, it tasted amazing. But, then again, Damon had made it, so it wasn't a surprise.

A few minutes after she heard the door below close, the seriousness of what she was getting into set in.

What was she going to do if Stefan's compulsion did break? He would obviously expect everything to go back to normal; but could it?

After last night, the answer was obviously "no". How could she ever look Stefan in the eyes again after she slept with his brother? It was the kind of low thing that would happen in a cheesy soup opera; girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love. Girl meets boy's brother, boys brother falls in love with girl. Boy gets compelled by a psycho to obey his every whim; girl runs off on a protection mission with boy's brother and ends up sleeping with him.

Alright, so maybe the psycho/compulsion part wouldn't happen in your average soup opera. But everything else would.

Elena felt like she was no better than your average slut. So what if they were vampires and Stefan was under an evil spell? He couldn't help it, and she knew he still loved her. But, she had let Damon get in her head, and now she couldn't change her actions.

But… did she really want to change them?

She thought back to her night with Damon.

The answer was "no".


	9. Chapter 9 Caught and Captured

Damon walked into the diner and looked around. The place was deserted, and it was eerily silent.

"Elizabeth?" he called and his voice echoed.

He got no response.

"Elizabeth? Are you here?"

He walked around the diner and opened the door that lead to the back, where Elizabeth had disappeared yesterday after their argument about Elena.

It led to a small staircase.

"Elizabeth?" he walked up the stairs and opened the door at the top. Inside was what appeared to be a small, dark apartment.

"Hello?" he called, walking around.

"Elizabeth? Could I borrow some blood from you?"

Still he got no answer, so he shrugged and decided to walk over to the fridge, opening it.

Inside were several blood bags, and he felt his fangs extend at the sight.

"Jackpot-" he had started to say before a hand covered his mouth, and something was stabbed into his shoulder blade.

He grunted, collapsing to the floor. His eyes began to blur, and he could just make out the figure of a man before everything went dark.

VvvvV

Elena was just finishing off her pancakes when she heard the door downstairs open.

"Damon?" she called.

When he didn't answer, she put the tray off to the side and got out of bed, walking over to the door and opening it.

"Damon?" she called again, glancing around in the halls.

Something flew past her face at vampiric speed, and she grinned.

"Oh," she said. "I see how it is. You want to play, do you…?"

But her playful expression fell away when he stopped running in front of her.

Because it wasn't Damon at all.

"Hello, Elena."

She gasped and backed up a few steps.

"Stefan? H-how did you find me…?"

Stefan was grinning that very evil grinned he had recently acquired.

"I have a better question; since when do you _play_ with Damon?"

Elena blushed.

"I…"

Stefan shrugged.

"You don't have to explain. I'm happy for you! It's good to know you were happy before it happened."

Fear engulfed Elena as she backed into the wall.

"Before… before what happened?"

Stefan shrugged again.

"This."

Before she could say anything else, he whacked her across the face.

Elena immediately lost consciousness, falling in a heap to the floor.

Stefan grinned.

"You're so pretty when you're unconscious."

He then picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and carrying her out into the cold morning.


	10. Chapter 10 Fighting the Torture

Damon, moaning, forced his eyes open.

"Damon…?"

He froze. He knew that voice all too well.

Elena.

But her tone made his heart beat at a fast, nervous pace. She sounded like she was in pain.

"Elena." He grunted, forcing his eyes open again.

She was lying on a cold cement floor a few meters away from him, and there was a deep, bloody gash on her cheek. Her hands were shackled together, more blood flowing from chafing at her wrists. Her legs were tied together with rope that looked rough and tight, and the entire right side of her face was slowly turning purple with bruise.

"Elena." He gasped, his eyes widening in horror. He tried to move toward her, but gave an agonized cry when his wrists, waist, and legs burned. It wasn't a pleasant fire, like the one caused by Elena's kisses. It was a painful, acid like burn that seemed to be melting through his skin every time he tried to move.

"Vervain…" she whispered, her eyes losing focus. "They soaked your chains in vervain…"

His eyes grew wider.

"Who? Who did, Elena? Who did this to you?"

She didn't answer him, though. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she lost consciousness again.

"Elena!" he roared, straining against the chains anchoring him in place. He ignored the burning, the only thought on his mind helping her.

"Sad, isn't it?"

Damon gasped, looking beside him to find Klaus, smiling wickedly at Elena.

"It's your fault, you know." He said. "If you had just let me have her for a few hours, I could have taken the blood and let her go. But, you just had to run…"

Klaus rubbed Damon's cheek with a vervain clove, and Damon snarled, fighting back a cry.

"It's a shame it had to come to this, really."

Klaus stood up and walked over to Elena. Mercilessly, he shoved a needle into her arm, sticking a tube in and letting the blood drain into a bucket beside her.

"No!" Damon yelled, fighting against the chains again.

"Fighting it will get you no where, Damon."

Damon, panting with fury and exertion, looked up.

"Stefan." He spat.

Stefan grinned.

"You just had to learn it the hard way, didn't you, brother?"

"Stefan, don't you get it?" Damon roared. "You love her! We both do! But Klaus is compelling you not to feel it…!"

Stefan dumped a bucket of liquid vervain down Damon's body, and he gave an agonized roar.

Klaus chuckled.

"Just give up, Damon."

"NEVER!" Damon roared, continuing to fight his restraints.

"Oh, for the love of all that's good, put him out, Stefan!" Klaus said, rolling his eyes.

Stefan pulled out a vervain injector and knelt beside his brother.

"No!" Damon roared, sinking his fangs into Stefan's arm.

Stefan yelled in anger, smacking Damon across the face and plunging the needle into his neck.

Damon groaned and passed out again.


	11. Chapter 11 Salvatore means Savior

Elizabeth walked down into the basement of the diner and frowned at the sight before her.

"I've done my part." She said icily. "Now, I want my freedom."

Klaus chuckled, walking up to her, giving Damon's cheek a poke with his shoe on the way.

"You want me to uncompell you?"

Elizabeth nodded, glaring.

"I've been forced to run from you for the past seventy-five years, and I don't want to do it anymore."

Klaus grinned, reaching where she stood.

"You want to break the compulsion I put on you to run?"

Elizabeth glared.

"Yes, I do!"

Klaus continued to grin.

"You're sure that's what you want?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it is!"

Klaus shrugged.

"Alright."

He then plunged his hand into her chest, pulling out her heart and tossing it on the ground.

Elizabeth fell to the floor, and Klaus sighed.

"She should have just kept on running, eh, Stefan?"

Stefan nodded from his spot beside his master.

Across the room, Elena began to stir.

Her stirring turned to whimpers as the pain in her arm sat in.

Klaus walked over and knelt beside her.

"Not feeling well, love?"

Tears fell from Elena's eyes.

"Please stop." She begged.

Klaus stroked her cheek.

"It would never have happened in the first place if you had just died like you were supposed to. Not that I'm complaining, of course." He grinned. "You're blood is very useful to me."

He dipped a finger in the bucket, now half full of blood, and licked the blood off.

"I must say, Elena; you have the most divine blood I've ever tasted."

She whimpered, her eyes falling on Damon, unconscious again.

"What did you do to him?" she asked, tears falling more rapidly.

"Oh, don't worry, love. He's just getting what he deserves."

"No." Elena whimpered, shaking her head. "He doesn't deserve this. He was only trying to protect me…"

"Oh." Klaus made a face of mock sympathy. "But that's exactly why he deserves it. This could have been much easier, and much less painful for you, if he'd just let us check you into the hospital for a while."

Klaus's eyes drifted down to the necklace at Elena's throat, and he furrowed his brow.

"That's not Rebekah's."

He turned his head.

"Stefan? Have you seen this before?"

Stefan walked over and knelt beside them.

He frowned when he saw the necklace.

"Yes, actually; it was my mother's. She gave it to Damon when she died. He must have given it to her." Stefan grinned. "Did he tell you the little story that goes with this piece of junk?"

Elena glared.

"Yes, he did."

Stefan grinned wider.

"Did he also tell you that it should have been mine?"

"He told me the entire story, and it should never have been yours! Just because your mother was fooled by whatever spell you cast doesn't mean I'll be."

Stefan pretended to pout.

"Hurtful, Elena!" he laughed. "But, how, as a four year old, could I have cast a spell on my mother? I was just your average mortal boy…"

Elena glared.

"You were no average little boy. You were a spoiled brat from the day you were born, and it's your fault that your father treated Damon the way he did!"

Stefan laughed.

"Is that really what he told you?" His face grew serious, but there was still a glimmer of a laugh on his lips. "My father hated Damon because Damon wanted to be hated. _He_ was the little brat; always showing off for the girls and his friends."

Elena resisted the urge to slap him; mainly because she couldn't if she wanted to. Her hands felt paralyzed.

"You don't know him like I do. I would believe his side of the story any day."

Stefan laughed.

"Oh, you absolutely slept with him. I can tell. You would never defend him like this if you hadn't. He also wouldn't have told you the story of our mother's death unless he screwed you first-"

"Shut the hell up, Stefan."

Damon was awake again, and his eyes were dark with fury.

Stefan laughed, appraising his brother.

"What are you going to do if I don't? You look pretty immobile there, brother."

Damon gave a humorless grin, shaking his head.

"I'm so glad you get to see this, Elena. You get to see who my perfect brother really is." His lips were pursed in an angry line.

Stefan laughed.

"Oh, and I suppose you're a perfect angel?"

Damon glared.

Stefan turned back to Elena.

"You know, I always wanted this locket, just so you couldn't have it."

He reached for it, attempting to pull it from Elena's neck.

He roared and yanked his hand back when it started to smoke.

"What the hell…?" he snapped, his eyes angrily falling on Elena again.

Elena, eyes wide, turned her head to look at Damon.

The ghost of a grin was hidden in his face.

Stefan stood up and stormed over to his brother.

"What the hell did you do to it? Vervain?"

Damon shrugged and shook his head, a full blown smug grin covering his face now.

"Nope. How would I have been able to give it to her if it were filled with vervain?"

Stefan grabbed his brother's neck in a strangle hold, pinning him to the wall.

"What-did-you-DO?"

Damon simply shrugged again.

"Who knows? Maybe Mother was a witch and you just never knew?"

Stefan snarled.

"I knew everything about her; some things you could never dream of! She told me everything, because _I _was her favorite. You meant _nothing_ to her, Damon! NOTHING!"

Damon's grin faded away and the glare he gave Stefan was terrifying.

"You shouldn't have said that, little brother."

"Oh? What are you going to do about it?"

Damon's mouth turned up in an angry grimace; there was nothing he could do. He was chained to the floor AND to the wall!

"Interesting." Klaus said, eyeing the necklace. "Very interesting. The gift given to the brother who supposedly meant nothing to the mother burns the other."

Both Stefan and Damon turned their heads to Klaus.

"What?" Stefan snapped.

"Well, don't you think it's odd that," he picked up the necklace delicately in his fingers, "I can touch it, and he can touch it, but you cannot?"

Stefan glared and stormed back over, closing his entire hand over the locket. He yowled in rage when it burned his hand.

To his horror, he couldn't re-open his hand. It just kept burning.

Elena's eyes widened in shock, as did Klaus's.

"Stefan, let it go!" he yelled.

"I can't!" Stefan roared, his eyes wild.

"LET IT GO!" Klaus ordered, and was horrified to see that his compulsion had no effect over whatever spell was keeping Stefan's hand closed.

Stefan continued to yell as the burning moved up his arm. He pulled his hand back, breaking the chain from Elena's neck.

She gasped as Stefan stumbled back, falling in a puddle of vervain left from when he had doused Damon.

Somehow, with the simplest tug, Damon's shackles snapped open.

He rubbed his wrists in shock for a few seconds, before leaping up and, teeth bared, running at Klaus.

"Damon, no!" Elena screamed, but he didn't listen.

He collided with the Original, throwing him into a wall with power that he never knew he possessed.

Elena gaped in shock; how was he doing this?

Klaus glared.

"I would let me go if I were you."

"No," Damon snarled. "I don't think I will."

Klaus yelled in anger, throwing Damon across the room.

Elena screamed, horrified, and tried to sit up.

Damon collided with the wall, sending splinters of wood through the room.

He hissed furiously when one lodged itself in his leather jacket.

He ripped it out, and his eyes widened when he realized what type of wood it was.

"Well, well, well…" he chuckled, and broke a long shard off of the wall.

He knew attempting to kill Klaus would be the stupidest, most reckless thing he had ever done.

But he had to try. He had to free Elena of the constant burden of being hunted down.

Running forward, he pinned Klaus to the wall again, and the Original roared in frustration.

"You idiot! You moron! YOU BASTARD!" Klaus yelled in his face.

"You forgot a name." Damon said, grinning.

"And what would that be?" Klaus snapped venomously.

Damon grinned.

"Slayer." He said, plunging the white oak spear into Klaus's chest.

Klaus grunted, and his eyes widened in horrified shock.

"…how…?" he rasped, before his face mummified and he fell to the floor.

Elena gaped in shock, as did Damon. Both were silent.

"Is he… dead?" she finally whispered.

Damon, unable to believe it himself, nodded slowly.

"Really dead? He can't come back again?"

Damon nodded again, still trying to process that he had honestly just killed Klaus.

He turned his head toward Elena.

"He's gone."

Elena let out a breath that she must have been holding for months now, a huge weight finally off of her shoulders.

"Elena…?"

She turned her head.

Stefan was lying on the floor, his eyes wide.

Dread seeped into Damon's stomach. If Klaus was dead, the compulsion was broken. Stefan was free…

But Elena was glaring at him.

"Stay away from me." She snapped venomously.

Stefan's eyes grew sad.

"Elena, I didn't mean anything that I said or did…"

Elena just shook her head.

Damon cautiously walked over to her side and knelt beside her.

"Let me see your arm." He said quietly, and she held it out to him.

He gently removed the tube from her arm, placing his thumb down to stop the bleeding.

She winced.

"Sorry." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She nodded.

He bit into his arm, letting the blood flow.

"Here," he offered it to her. "It will heal you."

For a moment she looked like she didn't want to accept, but the pain convinced her to give in, and she relaxed into his arms, letting him place his wrist at her mouth.

Damon lifted his thumb from her wrist, wiping the blood on his jeans.

After a few minuets, he gently pulled his arm away from her mouth.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Thank you."

"Come on," he gave her a small smile and picked her up. "We're going home."

She smiled, relaxing in his arms.

Damon paused in front of Stefan.

"I'll be taking this, thank you." He said, snatching the necklace from his hand.

"I… I'm sorry…" Stefan tried.

"Sorry won't fix things, Stefan." Damon snapped, and then walked over to the stairs.

Carrying Elena up the stairs, he walked out of the diner and ran to the car.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

It was snowing again, and Elena smiled.

"In a minuet. I have to do something first."

Damon furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What do you have to-?"

Elena cut him off, placing her lips on his.

Once again, their skin seemed to catch fire.

But this was one fire Damon could definitely live with, and could never again live without.


End file.
